Toyota RAV4 Forums banner

Tire damage due to excessive negative rear camber that can't be adjusted

32616 Views 130 Replies 44 Participants Last post by  Jonnylowkon
2
On a recent road trip our 2019 RAV4 Hybrid began vibrating on the highway. We pulled over and discovered that the left rear tire was damaged as it was cupped and missing much of the inside shoulder. The rest of the tire had approx. 5/32 tread wear. (3/32 is the minimum according to the tire manufacturer) We have been getting rotations every 5K miles at the dealer. All 4 tires had similar uneven wear, the current left rear being much worse.
167806


We replaced it with our full size spare and took it to a dealer in the area, they attempted an alignment; however, we were told that the left rear had excessive negative camber, this was not adjustable, and something was defective. They advised that we take it to the dealer where we purchased the car to see if they could do something. (Car is still in warranty)
167807


The dealer where we bought it new changed the struts and springs in an attempt to increase the ride height and decrease the camber with little effect. They said that it is now just within the "Acceptable" limit from Toyota so all is OK; however, at this camber the tire wears unevenly as evidenced by the tire in the photo above. We would expect it to be in Toyota's "Recommended" or "Preferred" alignment as represented by the smaller center green range. I understand that angles out of the recommended range can cause uneven tire wear. The replacement is also starting to show similar uneven wear after less than 1,000 miles.

What does a normal alignment report on a RAV4 Hybrid look like? Has anyone else had issues with uneven tire wear?
Would be very helpful if some of you could also post pics or results of your last alignment reports if you have them.

Thanks in advance.
See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 4 of 131 Posts
I’m not surprised, but very disappointed that the dealership didn’t report that abnormal wear to you. I keep getting calls from where I purchased to come in for my included oil changes and tire rotations. I don’t feel I’m missing anything when I see this, sorry man (facepalm).
  • Like
Reactions: 1
2019 RAV4 XLE Premium (gas), no uneven wear at 29k miles. Stock Yokohama tires s have another 5k miles of tread left, maybe 10k it I push it.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
I have no idea why, but the stock Yokohama tires were shot with less than 30k miles on my ‘13 CX-5. They were rotated regularly, but were loud after 5 to 10k miles of use. The inner portion wore down pretty badly, and you could tell it was due to the aggressive camber on the rear wheels. I put on Goodyear ComforTred Assurance tires, and they were fine for over 50k miles. I didn’t do an alignment either. They wore evenly, but had to be replaced when wet traction became poor. I think there is some truth in the crap tire argument based off that personal experience, but they didn’t wear to the point shown in the threads original picture.
Man, I just happened to notice that the inside of all four of my tires are worn almost bare. I have just over 40k miles on them. From the outside I couldn't see it, they look decent about right for the mileage. I just happened to be walking up behind my RAV4 and looked down at the tires and noticed. I've never had any indication that alignment is off and my last check at the dealership (35K) said my tires were good and I got them rotated.

What's the best way to handle this when I go in next week to get things checked at the dealer? I've never had tires so badly bald, especially so uniform on all four tires (on the inside, nonetheless). They are the stock Dunlop Grandtrek PT20's FWIW.
This happened on my ‘13 CX-5. At 28k miles, the inside of the tire was worn so badly that they needed to be replaced prior to the rest of the tread being gone. Those were the stock Yokohama tires. They were loud and sucked.

I replaced those with Goodyear Assurance ComforTred tires and those wore evenly over 60k miles. No excessive inner tire wear. I replaced the shocks and struts with around 80k miles on the car due to a busted shock, and I got an alignment. I replaced the Goodyear tires with Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires. Those are wearing evenly with 20k miles on them.

For you? You can get the alignment checked if you like but it doesn’t have to be at the dealership. I’d recommend replacing your stock worn out tires with a quality tire and move on. 40k miles on the junk stock tire isn’t bad. I’d be willing to bet a new set of quality tires won’t wear like that.

Check out tire rack. Your stock tires are one of the lowest rated tires that they track: https://m.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Grandtrek+PT20
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 4 of 131 Posts
Top